When it comes to John Carpenter’s filmography, Halloween is quite rightly known as the one that started a massive franchise. But Michael Myers isn’t alone, though with Carpenter’s other movies, they more led to eventual remakes than immediate follow-ups. Specifically, Assault on Precinct 13 got an underrated remake and The Fog got a horrendous remake, both in 2005. Escape from New York got a Carpenter-helmed sequel, Escape from L.A., but the critical and commercial failure of that film may serve as an indication as to why it remains the only sequel he’s ever helmed. But then there’s the director’s other masterpiece, The Thing.
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It may have flopped in 1982, but The Thing is now widely and rightly regarded as one of the best horror films ever made. It may very well be one of the best movies ever made regardless of genre. It’s 2011 prequel? Not so much, in spite of the best efforts of Mary Elizabeth Winstead. It’s time we got an expansion of the 1982 classic that is worthy of its legacy.
How the Prequel Emphasizes Just How Much We Need a Sequel
First off, a continuation to The Thing‘s story seems like a vague but real possibility. At the 2023 Texas Frightmare Weekend, Carpenter had a panel where he said, “I have been sworn to secrecy, okay, because there may be, I don’t know if there will be, there may be a Thing 2.”
That certainly sounds as though a discussion was at least initiated at some point in time, but there are a few things that would need to be set in place to make the endeavor worth it. On the wishful thinking side of things, of course, is that Carpenter himself comes back to direct it. But, again, that’s a bit of a pipe dream.
The real issue, the one that is avoidable that the prequel did not, is the utilization of practical effects. If they go with CGI it would be better to not even attempt it. Even if the effects of the 2011 version had been impressive at the time, which they most certainly were not, they would eventually age poorly. Rob Bottin’s effects in the original, however, are marvelously engrossing (and flat-out gross) to this day.
The good thing about a sequel to The Thing is that it’s easy to see where it could start. Specifically, with the discovery of MacReady (Kurt Russell) and Childs’ (Keith David) corpses. Now, this would deflate the impact of the original film’s open to interpretation ending, which was masterful, but it would be a natural starting point. The point is it’s very do-able, and if Carpenter involves himself in it (he was not involved in the 2011 movie to any extent), a Thing 2 would be all the better for it.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
